The Garda commissioner has said that there will be no "ban on arrests" with garda resources being shifted to deal with the coronavirus.
With gardai now on patrol at supermarkets and chemists plus extra resources needed elsewhere to deal with the crisis there was suggestions that there would be less of a clampdown on minor crimes.
Commissioner Harris said that where other methods can be used they will but there is no blanket ban on arrests.
Mr Harris said: "Where alternative methods can be used and used appropriately that will be done but in many cases we will still have no option but to arrest, and think of more serious offences or where public safety is at risk.
"We have to be prudent about that as I've said but we are equipping our staff with measures to make sure that we can continue obviously to protect society.
"Arrest is inevitably an essential part of that and there is no ban on arrests in any shape or form."
The detective complement has not yet been affected by the new measures and are free to continue with their ongoing investigations.
The Commissioner also stressed that rural Ireland will not suffer by this resources shift and will actually give community policing a lift.
He added: "In what we’re doing in terms of rosters, that’s an uplift everywhere, including rural areas.
“We’re supplying additional vehicles. We’re hiring a further 210 vehicles, and that is to support community policing.
“We do not see that rural Ireland is going to suffer in terms of our numbers, and indeed we should see that we would be part of an overall community response to support isolated groups and those that have to self isolate."
