That 'quite familiar' checkerboard signature dates back to 1988 and G-BOOV at Farnbough Air Show and appeared on virtually every UK police Aerospatiale/Eurocopter ever sold by 'DL' in the intervening years. Surprisingly it was not exactly common knowledge but he managed to slip it into most designs including POLA.
I think you'll find the truth behind that statement is that the checkerboard on the v.stab was specifically requested when West Mids chose the paint job for POLA. Before that, you may have noticed, it was decided not to have them at all on WMAO.
So there's no 'slipping in' been going on around in that part of the woods
