To formally complain about the police, which of the following actions should you take?

When you need to lodge a formal complaint against the police in the UK, the system is designed for direct accountability within the police force itself. Think of it like this: each police force, led by its Chief Constable, is responsible for maintaining its own standards and investigating any allegations of misconduct. That's why going directly to the police station or writing to the Chief Constable is the correct route. They have the authority and the internal mechanisms to address your concerns. Writing to your MP or the House of Commons, while potentially useful for raising broader issues of policy or legislation, won't directly trigger an investigation into a specific incident involving the police. MPs deal with parliamentary matters, and the House of Commons is the legislative body, not a complaint-handling service for individual police matters. So, for a formal complaint to be properly addressed, it needs to go through the police's internal channels.