NEW figures have revealed that in parts of the region, nearly one in five criminal suspects are not convicted.

Information on the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has revealed that Durham and Northumbria are in the top six areas in the country for criminal convictions.

However, the unofficial league table of the CPS's 42 regional teams shows that North Yorkshire and Cleveland and are in the lower third of the table.

The table has been compiled from data obtained by The Times newspaper, which reveals the stark differences in conviction rates of cases coming to court across the country.

Northumbria and Durham were fourth and sixth respectively, with conviction rates of 88.3 per cent and 87.6 per cent.

Portia Ragnauth, the chief crown prosecutor for Durham, said the result was a reflection of the hard work and effort of officers.

She said: "I think it's down to the good relationship with local agencies like the police and probation.

"We work really hard to establish and maintain that.

"We have always been committed to raising the public confidence and we are always looking for creative and innovative ideas, such as our new sensitive cases court.

"It is things like that that bring out the best in the CPS."

Ms Ragnauth said she still wanted to improve on the percentage of convictions for sexual assaults, which was 65 per cent.

Martin Goldman, the chief crown prosecutor for Cleveland, said the tables did not tell the full story.

He said: "There isn't a huge disparity between the top and the bottom.

"The public would be concerned if any CPS had a conviction rate anywhere near 100 per cent as that would mean they were only taking cases that they were certain to win."

Robert Turnbull, the chief crown prosecutor for North Yorkshire, said: "This all depends on how you look at it; we are still above the national average."

The best performing CPS area in the country was Warwickshire, with a conviction rate of 92.9 per cent. The worst was Bedfordshire, with 76.6 per cent.