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Tensor exhibiting at the Security and Policing 2012 event

Tensor will be exhibiting at the Security & Policing 2012 (formerly HOSDB) event in Farnborough from Tuesday 31st January 2012 to Thursday 2nd February 2012. A number of Tensor technical experts will be representing Tensor at the exhibition to advise and assist delegates with security related issues and matters. Tensor will be exhibiting with over 400 other companies attending this UK Government event which is the largest, police, security and National Resilience event in the UK. It provides a platform for showcasing world leading technologies, products and solutions to more than 570 institutions including police services, government departments and many other organisations and agencies from the UK and overseas. The event, which has been running for 30 years, is attended by Home Office agreement only, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to discuss security related operational requirements with exhibitors who can demonstrate more sensitive equipment in confidence. Tensor’s attendance at this prestigious event further confirms Tensor’s leading role in the Access Control and Security industry. The unique UK Government Zone brings together UK government agencies from all aspects of the policing and security sphere, creating a forum designed to tackle the threats posed by today’s security environment against a background of increasing financial pressure. For more information on the Security & Policing 2012 Exhibition, go to http://www.securityandpolicing.co.uk
News

Single time clock regime ensures company wages are paid on time

The head of a national football league said fresh sanctions would be imposed on Hearts FC if it continued to delay paying its players. The Scottish Premier League (SPL) ordered that the club’s December wages should be paid by January 11, 2012, while interest on all sums overdue from October, November and December wages must also be paid by that date. SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “Today's decision demonstrates how seriously the SPL take late payments of wages to players.” The WinTA Lite time and attendance system from Tensor will ensure wages are paid on time at your company. WinTA Lite operates a single time clock and can record employee details for up to 250 people. Tensor smart cards and key fobs can be used to operate your time and attendance system. The package includes: WinTA Lite software installation CD, T32xx Clocking Station, 50 Smart Cards (additional cards available on request), a User Manual, a Serial cable for communications to PC and 12 months of free helpdesk support from date of purchase.
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Advanced payroll system shows when night workers are due a health assessment

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that a pay pot of more than £10 million has been awarded to 102 regional hospital staff. The money will go to management and senior clinicians at hospitals in the Black Country and Staffordshire every year. They represent half a per cent of the workforce of more than 21,000. Corporate affairs director at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Dawn Clift said: “The vast majority of these high earners are our senior clinicians.” Tensor’s advanced Time & Attendance networks should be a New Year’s resolution for an organisation’s payroll department as they cope with all major hours calculation methods. Our range includes WinTAnet, which can determine overtime by the number of daily hours worked; as well as the more complex payment of overtime hours adjusted when periodic targets are not met. Its standard reports show: average hours worked during any period; instances when rest day rules have been broken; and when night workers are due a health assessment.  
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Corporate CCTV cameras can be viewed all through a single PC monitor

In-house surveillance footage showed a man carrying a knife thwarted in an attempted robbery by the store owner. The would-be thief tried his luck at a jewellery shop by suddenly grabbing an employee, and menacing both her and the owner. CCTV footage showed the attacker releasing the woman before he was chased out of the establishment by both of the brave members of staff. Essex Police say they need help from the public to track him down. Recent advances in technology means all sizes of business can benefit from a corporate crime-fighting Tensor digital CCTV system which is able to monitor movement and access within a specific area. Digital CCTV utilises the most advanced compression technologies to bring you the highest picture quality and video performance. Compared to analogue CCTV, a far greater number of CCTV cameras can be connected to your network and viewed, all through a single PC monitor. All digital CCTV systems supplied by Tensor are fully compliant with UK police requirements.  
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Workplace software deals with staff paid on an annual contract basis

London Underground (LU) has said it will not appeal against a judge’s decision, which means a Tube strike will proceed on Boxing Day. LU’s bid to halt the 24-hour walkout by drivers failed in court. LU’s management said they would not resort to the Court of Appeal to try to overturn the decision. Lawyers for LU had argued that the strike had a “false mandate” by extending the ballot to those people who were not rostered to work on the bank holiday. All facets of shifts, rostering and hours at work are dealt with by an automated Tensor Time and Attendance system. Our sophisticated software handles all major hours calculation methods, as well as job costing, absence planning and entitlement management. Workers paid on an annual contract basis can be handled by the annualised hours procedures and reports within the WinTA network. Settings are included to separate ‘worked time’ into different overtime rates, night shift working, unpaid and paid breaks, and more.  
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Unmanned reception security console for companies that do not have a front desk

Schools have had to spend nearly £100,000 on fences to stop vandalism. The fences and gates will be put up at seven schools where it is felt “enhanced security measures are necessary”. Swansea Council has asked central Welsh Government to fund the work, although it is more likely it will receive a maximum grant of £60,000. The incidents of vandalism have included lead ripped from roofs, damage to play equipment and smashed windows. Among the access control products offered by security experts Tensor is a Visitor Management System (VMS) which uses the latest PC technology. Companies that do not have a front desk receptionist can take advantage of the VMS Unmanned Reception Console. This console is operated via touch screen technology only, so no mouse or keyboard is needed. Visitors with appointments can book themselves in and out and the back office can contact their host upon their arrival. This can be done manually or the host can be automatically notified by email.  
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Fire roll call software automatically generates a report in an emergency

It is feared that a massive fire at a business park which was raging today (Thursday, December 22) may not be totally extinguished until Christmas. Firefighters tackling the blaze in Lancashire have now contained the flames to one building, the fire service has announced. Officials are narrowing down where the fire could have broken out. Fire service official Paul Richardson said one of the buildings involved had been storing toilet paper, a “ready-made fuel for fire”. Tensor’s security and attendance products have staff safety in mind because they can be integrated with fire roll call software that will automatically generate a report in the event of a fire or other emergency. As employees assemble at their fire roll call points, they use their smart cards or key fobs to record their presence. If employees have not brought their cards or fobs with them, they can be checked off manually using the generated reports. The fire roll call function is executed directly from the clocking stations.  
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Business access system can include barriers making full use of location points

A distraught owner of a local butcher’s shop reacted to thieves robbing £2,000 worth of Christmas orders. Julie Smith said the South Wales business had only been open six months, and added: “It’s really hard to see someone has destroyed your business.” As well as turkeys, the criminals also stole kids’ Christmas presents. “All the money we had is gone to give the boys a good Christmas. They have just taken everything – there's nothing left,” she said. From the control of a single internal door through to a fully computerised, multi-site network of control points, a Tensor Access System is the solution for businesses. Most standard types of internal and external electronic and magnetic door releases and devices can be controlled, including barriers making full use of location points, whether in full view or hidden out of sight. People are assigned to an access group, either unique to them or common to their department or status. Access groups include separate rules for shutdown days.  
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Absenteeism and lateness reporting includes email notifications or alerts

The general secretary of the National Union of Teachers is hopeful the deadlock would be broken over pensions for teachers and other public servants by the time Christmas arrives. Christine Blower was commenting on the current dispute surrounding the new Local Government Pension Scheme which is due to be introduced in 2014. Ms Blower said she was negotiating with the officials at the Department for Education. “I always go in in an optimistic frame of mind,” she said. Tensor supplies web enabled Time & Attendance technology incorporating smart cards, including support for iClass and MiFare cards. Absenteeism and lateness reporting with email notifications or alerts and comprehensive user-definable working patterns, rosters, and shifts are just some of the advanced features of the WinTA system software. Annualised hours and flexi patterns can be created, monitored and analysed. The Export to Payroll function allows data from WinTAnet to communicate with all the major payroll such as Sage, Pegasus, Centrefile, Unipay and many more.
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Jail monitoring software checks identity of legal representatives and inmate visitors

A prisoner who fled jail was given a lenient sentence because he gave himself up after a short period. When asked why he absconded, the defendant’s solicitor Lloyd Jenkins said that Peter Wildsmith was “very worried about his release in October. He says it is a vicious circle because every time he is released he has no accommodation or support and he commits crime again.” The judge passed a consecutive sentence of two months for the escape from Leyhill Prison near Gloucester. Tensor’s PC-controlled visitor monitoring system has been extended to improve security in the HM Prison Service. Pre-booking of legal representatives, contractors and inmate visitors can be entered into the system at any time, and cross-checked when the visitor actually arrives at the prison. The visitor monitoring software allows any HM Prison Service officer to quickly check the identity and monitor the movements of visitors. Accurate records of any visitors to the prison are stored within the monitoring software, and can instantly be produced.  
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Reliable gates ideal for controlling vehicle access to and from a site

Suspected criminals openly dealing in black market scrap and outlining their techniques in evading the police are just some practices which have been exposed. British Transport Police (BTP) co-operated with the BBC in an undercover deal involving stolen BT cable. Det Sgt Chris Hearne from BTP commented on when a buyer wanted BT details erased on the cable: “The fact he wants you to get rid of identification to me is showing he is acting in an inappropriate manner that is bordering on being criminal.” Large exterior locations such as yards and depots are difficult to monitor and keep secure from theft. Tensor’s range of high quality, durable gates offer reliable performance in the most demanding environments. Ideal for controlling vehicle access to and from your site, Tensor’s gates are quick to respond to the user’s instructions. Along with car park barriers and CCTV surveillance cameras, this is the number one solution for controlling vehicle access to your site’s road entry points.  
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Proactive clocking system includes spoken alerts to supervisors

A Conservative Member of Parliament has hit out at councils delaying deducting a day's pay from striking workers until the New Year. Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb said Gwynedd and Conwy councils had acquiesced to unions in going along with the ‘strike now, pay later’ arrangement. Mr Bebb claimed Gwynedd was due to make the pay adjustments in February. Gwynedd council would not comment before staff had been informed while Conwy said its payroll system meant it had to make deductions in January. Web enabled, mobile and wireless technology backs Tensor’s Time & Attendance payroll systems for those employing 20 people up to 10,000-plus staff. WinTAnet is a proactive clocking system that keeps your supervisors or management abreast of events. It does this by automatically emailing or SMS text messaging both employees and system users. With speakers attached to a PC or to Tensor's audio distribution network, spoken alerts are heard in a variety of voices and on screen ‘agents’ (similar to the Microsoft paperclip).

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