The police force in England and Wales is committed to ensuring that the service provided by the force is as effective in dealing with crime and establishing a presence as possible.
In order to fully achieve its promises, the police complaints procedure is in place.
This makes it easy for members of the public to make a complaint, safe in the knowledge that it will be dealt with in a fair and professional manner.
Misconduct by any member of the police force is never tolerated in the slightest and will be dealt with in the strictest of manners.
There are many different types of behaviour that might constitute misconduct.
Anything from foul language to excessive force or even more unlawful crimes are all accepted as misconduct.
The police force is, of course, committed to serving the public and treats this very seriously; any suggestion that communication or understanding has broken down will be immediately dealt with.
The police complaints procedure has many different routes and stages that can be chosen, often depending on the severity of the complaint.
Firstly, if the complaint is a minor one then a senior police officer could deal with it.
Often this involves a senior officer in the same area as the offence or alleged misconduct.
The IPCC, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, is able to act as well.
The IPCC can contact the police force on behalf of the plaintiff and ensure the correct course of action is followed.
If the crime is more serious then the IPCC can take control of the police complaints procedure, thus ensuring that a fair and unbiased investigation takes place.
When a complaint is made, all available information will be expected.
The individual making the complaint will be required to specify exactly what happened, what was said and the persons involved in the incident.
After all of the evidence has been gathered and looked at, a decision will be made regarding whether or not the complaint is to be officially recorded.
In minor cases, an apology or explanation is sufficient.
If the allegation is of a more serious nature then the case will most probably be referred to the IPCC.
If this is the case, it will be investigated by a commissioner in a fair and unbiased way.
This level of action is used when somebody has been injured or put at risk by a member of the police force - officers or administrative staff alike.
After being referred, there are several outcomes: The officer in question may be criminally charged, there may be some manner of disciplinary hearing or there may be no further action whatsoever.
The police complaints procedure has to be professional and thorough.
If it fails to be so then the link between the police and the public could soon break down.
There is even an independent body in the form of the IPCC to regulate police complaints and the attitude towards such matters is one of sincerity and professionalism.