Civilians to staff SA police cells

Civilians will guard prisoners in police cells to save money and free up officers for the "frontline", says SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens.

Security guards will take over 42 custodial management roles in police stations, he told a parliamentary committee hearing on Monday.

"Civilianisation of positions...provides benefits in terms of budget savings, but it also means that we use highly trained operational police officers for the function that we need them to be performing," he later told reporters.

Civilian solicitors are already being trialled in SAPOL's legal service.

But he said he had "no intention" of privatising any part of the police force.