Yet when my daughter (then just 16) had her teeth knocked out by a hit and run driver, there were no police available, and despite a good description of the car and driver and a partial number plate, they refused to investigate because there was "little chance of finding the culprit". When I said that I'd stand on the road myself at the same time every day for a week (it was commuting time when it happened) to look out for the car and driver and get a full number plate they advised me that they'd regard this as vigilantism, and that they wouldn't follow up any number I presented as I was not the original injured party nor a witness to the incident.

I suspect it's because by attending the pub complaint they can log a "clear up" simply by attending, without actually needing to do any investigation. In fact, they may well be able to log a separate "cleared up incident" for each member of the Wild Hunt side they identified (not too hard given their tatters). I have police friends in both the Met and the local Kent force here who are constantly frustrated by the hoops they have to jump through for management to maximise their stats.