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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 The receptionist is notified whenever a pass is swiped that is out-of-date or has other irregularities.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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

One of Tensors young apprentices, Chris Tinsley, has won a prominent national award for demonstrating huge potential on an apprenticeship scheme for electronic security manufacturers and installers. Chris is 20 years old and he fought off tough competition from across the UK to become a national winner in the British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) Apprentice Installer Awards 2009. He demonstrated that he has grasped the technical side of the equipment and that he continued dedication and enthusiasm for all jobs that are given to him. He is now in a position to provide training/advice to other engineers who are not as familiar with the Tensor products as him.  Chris was guided into the industry after seeking a job that combined electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering. He is now a valued member of Tensor plc Operations Department.. Paul Summerfield, Tensor’s Installation Manager, said “Chris excels with his positive attitude, logical thinking and a desire to perform his role to the highest standard possible. He has a keenness to learn new skills on both the installation and maintenance side and he has received praise from several customers who have commented on what a pleasure it has been to deal with him.” Commenting on this year’s deserved winners John Bates, BSIA Chief Executive, added “Each year our winning apprentices demonstrate the commitment they are already making towards a successful career within the security industry. The BSIA is proud to acknowledge the contribution these apprentices make so early on in their careers to continue the high standards of the industry. Chris should be justifiably proud of his achievements.” Chris was presented with his award by Admiral the Lord West of Spithead, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State responsible for security and counter-terrorism at the Home Office at the Association’s annual luncheon on 15th July at the London Hilton, Park Lane.

In December 2008, the European Parliament voted to end the Working Time Directive 48 hour opt out. This would have meant the phasing out of the opt-out over a three-year period. The Council of Ministers however continued to support the retention of the opt-out. For any amendments to be adopted it was necessary for both the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to agree and approve any changes. A conciliation committee of the Commission, Parliament and the Council held a series of discussions to seek a mutually acceptable text for the revision of the Directive. No agreement was reached. As a result of the above, proposals to introduce changes have failed. For the UK this means that the 48-hour opt-out will remain. The above actions have been the last opportunity to introduce any changes before the European elections to be held in June 2009. For any future changes to be introduced now, it would be necessary for the Commission to submit new proposals in order to start the process again. The proposals under consideration held wider implications than the removal of the 48-hour opt-out. The proposals also considered changes to the definition of ´on-call´ hours to be included as working time. At the present time the Directive considers active on-call to be included in working time. Active on-call is defined as the time that the worker is required to be available at their place of work. The Council thinks this should continue to be the case but the Parliament says that the definition of working hours should be widened to include ´inactive on-call´, which is the time a worker is on call, but not required to be at their place of work. As with the 48-hour opt-out, no agreement was reached between Council and Parliament hence the current position of only ´active on-call´ being included will remain. However, to comply withy the opt-out businesses must be able to prove the hours worked by employees and the legislation says "a paperwork system is not enough". Hence, the need to install a Time & Attendance system such as WinTA lite to cost effectively comply with the Directive.

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A new points- based system to enable the UK to control migration more effectively, tackle abuse and identify the most talented workers was launched by the Home Secretary. The Home Secretary called on industry and education sectors to play their role in making migration work for Britain, and reminded them that they had a responsibility to help make the new scheme a success.  The points based system is a central part of the Government’s five year strategy for asylum and immigration, which was published in February 2005, and is committed to a wide-ranging plan: to ensure that only those who benefit Britain can come here to work or study to strengthen the UK’s borders; to crack down on abuse and illegal immigration and increase removals. Its implementation is a key Government priority The scheme will be complemented with a tougher approach from our own British embassies abroad to weed out false applications and will place increased obligations on UK businesses and universities who will now be required to sponsor migrants and help to ensure that those they sponsor adhere to the terms of their visa. As part of the new legislation your human resource (HR) systems and compliance while employing migrants is rated when you apply for a licence to sponsor migrants under the points-based system to work or study. They assess five individual areas of your HR systems, which are: Area 1: Monitoring immigration status and preventing illegal employment Area 2: Maintaining migrant contact details Area 3: Recordkeeping Area 4: Migrant tracking and monitoring Area 5: Recruitment practices and professional accreditations You must mostly achieve a rating of 1 in each of the five areas to get the top rating for your HR systems overall. They also assess your past compliance with immigration law while employing migrants and will give you an A rating or B rating, or refuse or withdraw your licence. They assess: whether you have the correct human resource (HR) systems to make sure that you can meet your sponsorship duties; and whether you are complying with, or have previously complied with, the work permit arrangements and other immigration law. With these new regulations it would be very hard to pass the assesments unless you have a computersied Personnel System.

The BBC reported that some motorists in Cambridgeshire are filling up at a petrol pump and driving off without paying. The Cambridgeshire Police have sent out a warning that they are targeting such criminals. The fuel thefts have led to more patrols on petrol station forecourts. Although the police have sent out numerous warnings, these are being ignored as there were 125 thefts of fuel in the north of Cambridgeshire last year. Pc McCallum said "We will be concentrating on filling stations that have been particularly badly affected and that are all in rural areas". Pc McCallum also added "This is often seen as a victimless crime but the cost of thefts are eventually passed on to the public and we treat all forms of threat seriously". Officers have begun using Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology at garage forecourts to target offenders.