Race crimes are still being under-reported despite a rise in convictions, an MP warned today.

The Crown Prosecution Service handled 3,728 cases of racially-motivated crime between April 2001 and March 2002 in the UK which the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith took as a suggestion of greater confidence in the CPS.

But Keighley Labour MP Ann Cryer, pictured, believes that many attacks are not reported by victims who fear being labelled racist. "It seems as if people are afraid to talk about it, if it is Asians against whites," she said.

"Law enforcement agencies are reluctant to discuss these things, they are afraid of giving offence. But crimes are no more racist if they affect the Asian community than they are if they affect the white community."

She added: "After the riots, Bradford's Asian community was so horrified that it did all it could to bring the perpetrators to justice. But otherwise, there is something of a reluctance about giving information to the police.

"I can understand both sides. I understand why people do not want to give ammunition to the BNP and I certainly go along with that. But sometimes we have to talk about things despite the BNP presence."

But Bradford North Labour MP Terry Rooney, said he believed that anybody who had been attacked was "only too anxious" to report it.

He said: "There might be a degree of reluctance to class this sort of attack as a race crime but no reluctance to investigate assaults."

Bradford West Labour MP Marsha Singh added: "I am not aware of cases of people not reporting things to the police.

"I have no evidence of the police fearing to be called racist and I hope that is not the case."

Police in Bradford are set to relaunch the Bradford Hate Crime Alliance which includes reporting centres across Bradford and Keighley to maximise intelligence given to the police.

Chief Superintendent Phil Read, commander of Bradford North police, said: "A racist crime is a racist crime no matter who the victim is. We treat all complaints the same.

"We are certainly not reluctant to talk about racism