News

A double life using a stranger’s passport for seven years has resulted in a woman being jailed for 16 months. Forty-one year-old Qamar Yasmeen created a make-believe existence, gaining a job and even getting married under the false identity. The fraudster, from Rochdale, was able to hoodwink officialdom after gaining hold of a lost childhood passport from an unsuspecting victim. She acquired a new passport eight years ago, and her plan worked until the victim applied for a new passport, meaning the scam was revealed. It would be almost impossible for someone with false ID to enter your premises if it has a Tensor visitor monitoring system. Simple to use, user friendly with WindowsTM style software, it enables your staff to swiftly enter the details of visitors, and print their personalised ID pass. It is often necessary to inspect licences, vehicle information, and identification papers. Your VMS enables you to scan in these documents, creating a soft-copy version that can be viewed at a later date. Additional access control or surveillance products can give you extra piece of mind.

Computing company Hewlett-Packard (HP) is setting up a new information technology section, which will generate 700 new posts in Scotland. It is a remarkable turnaround as it was just 12 months ago that HP trimmed 700 manufacturing jobs at the Glasgow plant and said it was transferring the work to the Czech Republic. Marc Waters, head of strategy and integration at HP UK and Ireland, said: "HP has a strong heritage in Scotland and I am delighted to confirm our investment to develop the Erskine site as a hub for delivering industry-leading technology services." Perhaps your firm is undergoing change or taking on a host of new staff – well, Tensor has the Time and Attendance smart card and biometric systems and software for your needs. Recent changes to the Working Time Directive have meant that it is now even more important to accurately document your employees' attendances. The time and attendance systems are fully compatible with all working hours regulations. The software produces reports that show jobs that are over budget or those approaching their budget limit. This information can also be exported to spreadsheets.

Jobs are on the line after Whitehall this year slashed millions of pounds from council budgets. Since the government wants to reduce the huge national debt, local authorities were dealt the cash blow, none more so than Hampshire County Council, which had a reduction of £6.205m to its budget, a 0.6 per cent decline. This includes reductions in education and children's services; as well as £600,000 cut from the budget which pays staff to handle payments to vulnerable people, and almost £600,000 cut from a road safety grant. Tensor employee clocking systems come to the rescue of organisations wishing to do more with fewer funds suddenly at their disposal. Versatile payroll data is converted by the software from the clocking readers, which are operated by Tensor smart cards. The proximity read method of the cards and fobs means that they will never wear out, and dust and residue picked up from the working environment presents no risk of clogging the reader. The advanced WinTA Enterprise edition can also link to your Tensor Access Enterprise access control application, where it is able to share employee data.

The position of Mayor in Hartlepool has come under question in the local corridors of power. Speaking after he had voiced objections to the high-salaried role at a council meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Arthur Preece added: "I don't dispute there is a job to be done bearing in mind I was the leader of the council for two years from 2000. But for that I was paid a special responsibility allowance of £3,200." Tensor Time and Attendance devices will save costs on your firm’s payroll with our state of the art clocking systems. The software exports data gleaned from employees clocking in with smart cards. Each user can define their own reports and save these for future printing; automatically or on-demand. The software can be set to automatically print out any of the user defined or standard reports on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis. This is accomplished by using the Timed Report File update program. "Only if" reports can be created to show, for example, only those who have worked overtime, particular types of absence or who is ill.

The authorities have reacted to accusations by a Hampshire councillor official that signs put up intended to deter crime are like Big Brother. Cllr Luke Stubbs, who represents Eastney and Craneswater, said: “There's also an economic issue to consider. Placing these intimidating signs on a main road suggests crime is out of control. We should not be saying to visitors ‘stay away, it's too dangerous’." A spokesperson said the signs placed by the Safer Portsmouth Partnership were based on police intelligence. Having a product installed by the Tensor group of security companies gives you cause to rest easy. We only deal in the highest quality access control systems, which are operated by smart cards. Integrity of the cards is impeccable: with up to 34 billion different combinations of ID number, there is no chance of duplication. In addition, each ID number has built-in security and integrity checks ensuring that it cannot be misread. You can build a complete network featuring complete electronic door and barrier access control, plus biometric fingerprinting and digital CCTV technology which detects, deters and prevents intrusion on your site.

Labour Party leadership candidate Ed Balls has put forward a £250m jobs pledge as a centrepiece of his campaign. As ballot forms appeared on the doorsteps of the party faithful, he said his plan would ensure everyone of working age had the right to a job – plus the responsibility and requirement to take it. Mr Balls insisted his policy went "to the heart" of the alternative he would be offering on the economy. He called for a new guarantee so that anyone unemployed for more than 18 months would be given a job or work placement. Tensor Time and Attendance technology ensures jobs are secure at your business, which we can help increase profits and productivity. Easily and quickly via a contactless smart card or key fob, employees clock in and the data is exported to the WindowsTM enabled software. Reports show jobs that are over budget or those approaching their budget limit. This information can also be exported to spreadsheets. Shift Swapping is a key asset – here employees may have their shift for a particular day changed in advance.  

Police in Wales are urging people to report suspicious traders to Dyfed-Powys officers. They have warned about dubious or fraudulent workers in Powys because many complaints have been fielded concerning those who are cold-calling and offering work at knock-down rates to vulnerable people in the traditionally-known area of Radnorshire. The Powys Community Safety Partnership has recommended to residents that if they require roofing or building works that they find out a full contract price, as well as obtaining feedback. Tensor’s unbeatable Visitor Monitoring System (VMS) keeps track of visitors as soon as they enter your premises, so suspicious or fraudulent visitors are weeded out straight away. Unlike paper-based systems VMS provides accurate date and time stamped audit trail of visitors and contractors. Under the regime, individualised, bar-coded passes with monitored expiry dates are created and produced to be scanned whenever someone visits your site. The receptionist is notified whenever a pass is swiped that is out-of-date or has other irregularities. A small pop-up screen containing the person's digital photo image enables an extra visual check to be made.

Thirty firefighters were needed over the course of a night to tackle a fierce blaze at the Linamar car parts factory. The depot, in Swansea, initially attracted four pumping appliances, a foam tender, a turntable ladder and an environmental unit before more fire crews joined the operation. The blaze started in the workshop area, and spread to parts of the plant and the control room. Their prompt action, including protecting highly flammable materials, meant all factory workers on site were uninjured. First class Access Control and security systems from Tensor have fire roll call built into the design of the wireless enabled smart card and biometric clocking and access control equipment. Instantaneous report generation of highly accurate attendance reports of who is on site makes this fire roll call software the best in the industry, and a must-have addition for any safety-conscious employer. At the fire roll call point, staff use their smart cards to record their presence; or they can be checked off using the generated reports. Current customers can upgrade without having to change their T32xx or T25xx clocking stations.

The Police Federation has warned that the fight against crime will undoubtedly suffer following the drastic autumn spending reductions. The body, which speaks for front-line police, said about 40,000 jobs are in jeopardy and that crime rates (which have been trimmed in the past year) will go in the opposite direction. The Federation’s warning came after some constabularies said they already plan to axe substantial proportions of their workforces – 20 per cent in some cases. This is in line with the expected 25% cut to the police budget in England and Wales. Stepping up security is easy with Tensor Access Lite software and Tensor's T149x scanners, where you can control most standard types of internal and external electronic, magnetic door releases and devices. Your site can make full use of location points, whether in full view or hidden out of sight, providing access even in the most adverse conditions. A variety of access equipment, devices and releases can be connected via the T8424 scanner control unit including: alarms and hooters, break glass buttons and door release buttons.

The number of Scottish people who re-offended within two years of a conviction has reached its highest level in a decade, state the most recent figures. The Scottish Parliament recently passed proposals which will phase out jail sentences of three months or less in favour of tougher community sentences. According to the figures, 42.5% of those who were given community service orders re-offended within two years. Among those handed probation by the courts, 57.8% re-offended. However, 61.6% of people jailed committed further offences within two years. Protect your premises from the likelihood of criminal acts with a Tensor Access Control network. Your clocking station network (of one or more clocks) will deter and detect forced or unauthorised entry, and is connected to a main server PC either via the PC's standard serial port or an ethernet network adapter. Access Control Profiles are easily created or customised to suit your particular site, and can be varied minute-by-minute. Among the other features are: an audit trail showing who gained access (or was denied) at any location at any time; plus sensor monitoring to detect forced entry.

A new marine project is hoped to initiate a jobs boom in the sector, centred around Bangor University. An innovation centre will be set up at Menai Bridge, Anglesey, providing support facilities for Welsh companies. "It's about generating new jobs and new businesses and encouraging existing businesses to grow,” said the project manager Dr Gay Mitchelson-Jacob. "Existing business might grow in terms of their turnover or they might be able to take on new people.” She added: "There are a whole series of goals. There's a large part which is about the research and development side – universities working in collaboration with businesses." Perhaps your business sector is experiencing a boom. Rapid expansion will be aided by Tensor time and attendance technology since it simplifies your payroll. Information on up to 1000 production or department jobs can be stored by the time and attendance software. It incorporates job booking, job costing and labour hours analysis, with an export to Payroll facility linking to Sage, Pegasus, and others. Information can also be exported to spreadsheets and graphs to create a powerful management tool.

Relatives have called for CCTV and other increased security after a spate of thefts at a Peterborough cemetery. David Adams, the city council’s bereavement team manager, said: “We are advising families not to leave items that can be easily removed or stolen. Eastfield Cemetery is a large area which is used as a cut through by residents, as well as family and friends of those buried there.” He added: “Stealing from graves is despicable and disrespectful and we will continue to do all we can to support the police in catching those responsible.” CCTV is among the many security devices offered by Tensor and our fellow companies. It can be added to our access control systems to produce a complete security network which will identify and deny access to intruders and possible thieves. Our smart card systems can power your entrance gates, shutters, door releases and barriers. Unlike many other companies who provide similar systems, we support all of our CCTV surveillance products in-house, so you can get instant feedback and action to your support requirement.