North Down MP Lady Sylvia Hermon was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to move her frail 79-year-old husband — who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease — from a Co Down respite centre following an intelligence report by the PSNI.

Sunday Life understands that cops warned Lady Sylvia that the Real IRA had discovered where Sir Jack was receiving 24 hour care for his illness.

Although there was no specific threat against Sir Jack, the MP moved him to another home over fears for his safety and over concern too for the lives of staff and other residents.

The former Chief Constable had been staying at the home for a number of months but is now receiving care at a secret location.

Lady Sylvia, the dad-of-two's devoted wife, last night confirmed she had met with police over the issue.

She told Sunday Life: "I feel intensely protective towards Jack and so I'm extremely reluctant to say anything that might in any way compromise his personal security.

"I do of course continue to be guided by police advice.

"All the nursing and care staff who have looked after my husband over recent months have done so with the greatest compassion and sensitivity.

"They are wonderful people doing a remarkable job with dementia and Alzheimer's."

A source close to the MP confirmed the former Chief Constable was moved as a "precaution".

Police are taking the intelligence seriously because of the increase in activity by dissident republican terrorists.

Added the source: "Sir John is 80 in November but looks younger because of the nursing care he has been receiving.

"The PSNI informed Lady Sylvia that they had intelligence dissident republicans knew where Sir John was receiving his care for Alzheimer's.

"When Lady Hermon received that information, she could not run a risk with Sir John's life or with anyone else at the centre.

"The decision to move Sir John was made on police advice and he was moved calmly and without fuss."

Sir Jack Hermon served as chief constable between 1980 and 1990.

He remains a hate figure to republican extremists who accuse him of overseeing a 'shoot-to-kill' policy in the 1980s, a claim he robustly denied.

He married Lady Sylvia in 1988 and the couple have two teenage sons, Robert and Thomas.

Sir Jack was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2002.

He replaced Sir Kenneth Newman as the Chief Constable of the RUC in 1980. During his decade in charge of the 10,000 strong force, he defended the force against shoot-to-kill allegations, faced an upsurge in loyalist violence, the hunger strikes and a concerted IRA bombing campaign.