Ireland is now nearly two weeks into Level Five, and people across the country are battling to stay positive amid ongoing restrictions to retail and day-to-day life.
And for those looking for brightness amid the gloom, plenty of help is coming from An Gardai Siochana.
Normally when the gardai make headlines it's in relation to crime and punishment, but in recent weeks there have been a glut of good-news stories about local interactions between guards and members of the public – often kids.
Here's a roundup of heartwarming garda stories in the recent past.
Gardai meet adorable siblings en route back from essential hospital journey
As photos go, they don't get much more heartwarming than a snap of Garda Sheridan, of Ballyfermot Garda Station, posing with Beth and Alice Linday.
The pair boast beaming, toothy smiles and are clearly chuffed to have Garda caps perched on their heads – even if they are a little bit too big!
The family were on the way home from an essential hospital journey and you can see the interaction has made their day.
The Garda gifted a freshly baked loaf in sign of appreciation
If ever we needed reminding that we're all battling Covid-19 together, it's now – and this lovely gesture of appreciation from a member of the public is a perfect example of what we can achieve when communities pull together.
Garda Paul Smith, on duty as part of Operation Fanacht, was gifted a freshly baked loaf – and some real Irish butter – by an appreciative member of the public who regularly passes him by on the N4.
What a classy touch!
An adorable dog greets busy Gardai
It's not just humans who are offering moments of levity when it comes to garda checkpoints amid the pandemic – we've also seen precious moments where gardai on the beat have bumped into cute pets.
Only yesterday, gardai operating checkpoints in south Dublin met this little sweetheart.
You'd want a heart of stone to be unmoved by the adorable pic.
Gardai participating in Halloween celebrations
Ahead of Halloween, much of the talk from Ireland's police force when it came to the big night was cautionary in nature, as the public were warned of the dangers of fireworks and bonfires.
But in Drimnagh, gardai joined members of St John's Youth Service for a celebration of a responsible Halloween – including this charming outdoor art exhibition.
Garda hangs up the washing for a grateful member of the public
Often, when we think of the gardai, the first thing that comes to mind is arrests and crime-busting.
But many officers are also keen to remind the public of their "here to help" mantra – and you'd be hard pushed to find a better example than this fantastic photo.
In it, Probationer Garda Kelly can be seen – clad in a mask for safety – hanging out the washing for a Ms O'Reilly in Roscrea.
It's lovely, and well worth checking out.
Gardai drop off treats to kids in Crumlin Children's Hospital
Kids across the country were forced to face a drastically curtailed Halloween this year as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.
But for children in Crumlin Children's Hospital, things can be that bit harder again – so it lifted the spirits to see gardai dropping in treats to the hospital ahead of the big night.
Kudos, and we hope the children enjoyed their goodie bags!
Garda Glendon meets Spider-Man
Another Halloween heartwarmer, this story saw Garda Glendon on the beat in the Summerhill area of Mallow, Co Cork – where he bumped into Spider–Man.
A true superhero in a time when we badly need one, and a lovely story all round.
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