As of Monday, officers will no longer be writing out old-fashioned paper tickets to motorists caught breaching parking limits.

Instead, they will be armed with hi-tech handheld electronic devices that print out shopping docket-like penalty notices.

While the new system has cost $40,000 to implement, council’s director of planning and community services, Jackie Kruger, said it would ensure savings in the long-run.

“Penalty infringement notices will now be automatically synchronised into a database from the handheld devices and sent directly to the State Debt Recovery Office,” she said.

“This represents a vast improvement in efficiency as there will be no more manual handling of paperwork, saving both time and money.”

All income derived from parking meters and fines goes into a fund to be used for the maintenance, renewal and lighting of the city’s 35 off-street car parks, as well as for future parking infrastructure.