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A former Northern Ireland police chief has recalled how he faced “political pressure” over his decision to publicly state that IRA members were involved in a Belfast murder in 2015.

Sir George Hamilton told MPs he was “getting it from all sides”, including Dublin and London, over the threat to the Stormont powersharing institutions following the murder of Kevin McGuigan.

Mr McGuigan, a father-of-nine, was shot in the Short Strand in Belfast in August 2015.

His shooting had followed the murder of ex-IRA commander Jock Davison in the Markets area of the city three months earlier. The two men had been involved in a personal dispute.

Mr McGuigan’s death led then-PSNI chief constable, Sir George, to state that the Provisional IRA still existed and some of its members were involved in the murder.

He said there was no evidence that the killing was sanctioned by the organisation.

The killing led to a period of instability at Stormont, with DUP ministers engaging in a series of rolling resignations in protest at the IRA’s alleged involvement in the shooting.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson raised the issue when Sir George appeared before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

Mr Robinson asked: “Can you give an indication to this committee about how difficult a period that was, the position that put you in?”

Sir George said: “I made that call and that statement for policing purposes.

“The political pressure in that instance was actually not to say what I said, rather than to say it.

“I was getting it from all sides within Northern Ireland and from Dublin and London, about what are you doing? You’re about to bring down the institutions and all the rest of it.

“But we were knocking doors in the Short Strand and the Markets, asking people to come forward with evidence and they were literally telling the detectives on the doorstep, ‘you know who did this, you know who was behind it, we know who was behind it, you’re not going to call it out, because politically, you can’t, but you want me to write a statement and get into a witness box and give evidence, that is not going to happen’.”

Sir George pointed out that one of his predecessors as PSNI chief, Sir Hugh Orde, had “made similar comments” about the IRA’s involvement in the Northern Bank robbery in 2004 and the murder of Robert McCartney in 2005.

He told the committee: “I never really got offended or upset about the political pressure, because I believe that I had my own values and my own understanding of operational independence or operational responsibility.

“I was going to do the right thing and then deal with the consequences afterwards, rather than allowing my judgment to be influenced by politicians.

“I listen to anybody, of course, but when it comes to actually making the operational call, that is for the police.”

Mr Robinson asked him if he believed there is a “problem with a section of political leadership in Northern Ireland that they only support policing if policing works for them?”

Sir George said: “I’ve had attempts at influencing operational policing coming from all sides and all kinds of politics.

“If you look at the parading issues, very often from the unionist side of the house, there will be representations made, and representations are fine.

“I would actually welcome those, because it helps you, given the aspect of operational independence or operational responsibility that means that I’m going to be answerable after the fact for what I do here.

“So, the more insight I can get into the political thinking will help me deal with the aftermath.

“But there’s a line somewhere that should not be crossed about appeasement or allowing that degree of political influence to fundamentally skew decisions.”