Retired Newfoundland RCMP officer featured on French stamp

Retired RCMP Staff Sgt.-maj. Dave Tipple has been depicted on a new stamp issued by the French postal service.

He is featured on the stamp alongside Capitaine Eric Rességuier, of the Gendarmerie of St-pierre-miquelon.

Due to the geographic location of St-pierre-miquelon and the south coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, policing services on both islands have shared a close working partnership, the RCMP noted in a news release.

The Gendarmerie nationale and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police share intelligence and work together to combat drug trafficking and smuggling.

In 2015 and 2016, a series of La Poste stamps were issued by the French government depicting policing on the islands of St-pierre-miquelon.

Tipple was recommended by the Gendarmerie and chosen to appear on the stamp.

“This is a great honour for the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador” said Assistant Commissioner Peter Clark, commanding officer for the province. “Given Staff Sgt.-maj. Tipple’s achievements and relationships with the Gendarmerie, he was the perfect choice.”

In 2011, Tipple was awarded the French national defence bronze medal, for foreign personnel who provide service to France.

Other awards includie the Member of Merit of the Police Forces, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, as well as the RCMP’S Long Service Medal.

Tipple, a Corner Brook native, retired in 2014 with 44 years of service.