Suffolk is helping to lead the way in the successful prosecution of hate crimes.

According to a report by the Crown Prosecution Service the county has the fourth highest conviction rate in England and Wales.

Out of a total of 104 prosecutions in 2013-14 there were 96 convictions, equating to 92.3%, making Suffolk fourth in the league table of 42 areas.

The only counties with better percentages were South Yorkshire (97%), Cumbria (94.4%) and Gloucestershire (93.5%).

Essex has an 88% conviction rate from a total of 317 prosecutions, with Norfolk at 83.6% from 177 prosecutions.

Overall the Crown Prosecution Service East of England, which covers Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, is one of the top four regions.

Frank Ferguson, its Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: “We are very pleased that 87.3% of hate crime cases in the East of England end in a conviction.

“Hate crime is driven by unfounded prejudice and hostility because of a person’s race, gender, sexuality, religion, age or disability. It can start as name calling then escalate to serious assaults and sometimes even murder. It affects not only the victims but also the communities where it takes place, creating an atmosphere of fear and distress. It is important therefore that people realise we treat these cases seriously and we work hard with the police to build effective cases which end in a conviction.”

The conviction rate of 87.3% for East of England in 2013-2014 is higher higher than the national average of 84.7% and also higher than last year’s conviction rate in the Area when it was 83.7%.

Mr Ferguson said: “As well as an increase in our area’s conviction rate, each of our four counties has shown an increase in their conviction rates and I am particularly pleased that convictions in Norfolk have increased from 75.5 per cent to 83.6 per cent.

“This is an acknowledgement of all the hard work of our staff in the East of England and I would like to pay tribute to them for this.”

The number of hate crime convictions increased nationally from 10,794 to 11,915 and the hate crime conviction rate also increased from 82.6% to 84.7%.