Sillitoe Tartan

Sillitoe Tartan is the nickname given to the distinctive black and white chequered pattern which was originally associated with the police in Scotland, but which later spread to Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of the United Kingdom, as well as to some other places such as Chicago and Pittsburgh in the United States and in parts of Canada to distinguish members of the Auxiliary Police. Based on the diced bands seen on the Glengarries that are worn by several Scottish regiments of the British Army, the pattern was first adopted for police use in 1932 by Sir Percy Sillitoe, Chief Constable of the City of Glasgow Police.

Sillitoe Tartan may be composed of several different colours and number of rows depending on local custom, but when incorporated into uniforms, or vehicle livery, serves to uniquely identify emergency services personnel to the public.

The Sillitoe tartan was an exclusively Scottish phenomenon until introduced in South Australia in 1961. From 1972, within the United Kingdom, the original black and white Scottish version began to rapidly spread throughout England and Wales and it is now used by all police forces in Great Britain.

Most forces use black and white chequered hat bands, however the City of London Police is unique in that it uses distinctive red and white chequers. The City of London Corporation also run the Hampstead Heath Constabulary and the Billingsgate Market Constabulary (who are no longer attested as constables but retain the historic title), who both also use red and white chequers. The Hammersmith and Fulham Parks Constabulary, whom are run by the local authority, also originally used red and white chequers in line with their corporate colours of the council but they reverted to the standard type.

...
Wikipedia