Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t worth complaining. The police take complaints very seriously.

By complaining, even about minor matters such as rudeness, you give senior officers the opportunity to give a message about what is acceptable and professional.

You also give those officers a message about what the community regards as acceptable from the force they manage.

And if what has happened to you is really serious, you may help to get rid of a thug or a racist or a criminal, who should be behind bars rather than in a police uniform. This could be stressful, prolonging an incident that you’d rather forget, but you may protect someone else.