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Scottish police force mergers to be discussed by a new committee set up by the government. The first meeting of the Scottish Policing Board is expected to examine the possibility of merging eight forces into three constabularies – or even one. It will consider a report from four deputy chief constables who have been studying the future of policing. Sources close to the group say the senior officers have not made any recommendations, but instead will ask for permission to undertake more detailed work on the cost of shutting existing forces. The future of policing is uncertain, and is time for your firm to audit its security features. Tensor is a market leader in providing smart card and biometric access control systems. The T351x range achieves the same standard of security throughout, catering for those who require access control, whether it be a single door up to a four door system controller. Starting from an incredibly low price of less than £150 for the controller and software, which represents the best door access security you can buy for the money. Up to 10,000 smart card holders can be accommodated on the network.

Prime Minister David Cameron took a 5% pay cut when he took office and earns £142,500; however research has found that almost 10,000 public sector employees earning a better salary than him. The BBC survey in collaboration with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that there were more than 38,000 public employees earning above £100,000, a subject about which Mr Cameron has already raised concerns. The PM and his cabinet took the 5% cut when they formed the government at a time of record deficits and a sluggish economy. You can create a wide range of pay rates, shifts and working patterns with Tensor time and attendance software. All time and attendance systems have a familiar Windows interface, providing quick and easy access to information. The working patterns can run past midnight, making night shifts simple to define. Additional features are available, which can be implemented to take into account diversity with pay scales. For instance Secondary Pay Bands, where certain pay bands pay into other bands either on a 1:1 basis or by using a multiplier.

A public-spirited council is giving new life to a run-down ‘WC’ building. The local authority in charge of a 1930s toilet block at Gullane in south-east Scotland pledged to improve the facility, which was in a poor state of repair. Ruth Currie, cabinet member for community wellbeing at East Lothian, said that the new facilities will meet modern standards. No doubt the local council is aware of the improved trade and tourism prospects that towns enjoy when public toilet facilities remain. Tensor plc supplies coin operated toilet turnstiles for both interior and exterior installations, allowing money to be raised for their maintenance to aid cash-strapped councils or private companies. The turnstiles are manufactured from graded stainless steel for ease of cleaning and maintenance and are duty cycle rated for intensive use. The turnstiles can cope with severe operating conditions. The separate coin box can be mounted either in front of the turnstile, at the side or alternatively can be wall mounted with the cash box at the rear, giving a huge range of configurable options.  

A jobs policy initiative is at the heart of Ed Balls’ bid to become the Labour Party leader, as the contest winds up this week. Mr Balls said: "We need to do more to boost jobs, promote growth and get the economy moving again. That's why I have called for 100,000 more affordable homes to be built to tackle the housing shortage and create hundreds of thousands of private sector jobs." He added: "The best way to secure economic recovery and get the deficit down over time is to make sure more people are in work and paying taxes." Tensor personnel time and attendance software is fully customisable, enabling you to decide on the specific features that your organisation requires when it is expanding and taking on new jobs. WinTA Lite is the choice for smaller companies with less than 250 staff. A WinTA Lite time and attendance system comprises: WinTA Lite software installation CD, a T8440 Clocking Station, 50 smart cards, an extensive user manual, a serial cable for communications to a PC and ten days of free helpdesk support from date of purchase.

A police force whose jobs are under threat has achieved a dramatic drop in its crime figures. Between April and June this year there were nearly 2,500 fewer victims of crime in County Durham compared with the same period last year. At the same time detections were up from 31 to 42 per cent. The figures cover a period when talks began between Durham and Northumbria forces about a merger, because of huge cuts in public spending. Police numbers are only going one way, which is down, so ensure your site is secure and safe with Tensor smart card access control technology. T1481 Access Control Scanners are supplied ready to install and can operate across a cable or Ethernet network. They can also be mounted next to your barriers or turnstiles enabling you to quickly set up a security network. The T1481 uses RF (radio frequency) technology to read your smart card and grant access. Unaffected by most external conditions, this type of access control scanner is durable, resilient and provides a consistent read range.

Government budget cuts should not mean that support for business security is neglected, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned. In its report, “Localism and tackling crimes against business”, the FSB said that nearly half of small businesses (46%) were not reporting crime as they didn’t think it would achieve anything. More than a third (34%) thought the police would not be able to succeed in prosecution and a quarter (25%) said they thought the police just would not be interested. Tensor access control technology, allied with other products we supply like surveillance cameras and visitor monitoring, is all your business needs to stay secure. Our smart card access control system will control your car park barriers, turnstiles and site entrances, or almost any other mechanism that provides physical security. Doors may be configured to lock automatically on burglar alarms; while there is the option of CCTV tracking of video clips showing evidence quality footage of forced entries, alarm events, or users of smart cards gaining access or being denied.

In 2011 Wolverhampton City Council is facing a budget black hole of about £7.9 million – despite already making colossal savings. The finance department has started to draw up plans to cut £3.9m even before the government’s comprehensive spending review is revealed on October 20. Advertising and publicity budgets will be reduced by £26,000 per year. The controversial changes already implemented have seen the city’s tips close two days a week, while the price of hot food for the elderly and disabled has nearly doubled. A Tensor workplace time and attendance smart card recording network will save your employer on its personnel and payroll – ideal when you are looking at trimming the bottom line. The system has many advanced features: for example it is possible to view all information for an employee or a single department with the software. The Group Holiday Planner displays a whole year of absences at a time. This allows easy view of incidences of multiple absences, whether in the past or the future, making it an ideal management tool. Absence codes or colours are user definable with separate rules for each.

The autumn spending review means like every other department which needs trimming, police numbers will fall. Strathclyde Police has already said it plans to cut 200 officer posts through early retirement as well as inviting all its civilian staff to apply for voluntary redundancy. This is the reason the union representing Scotland's police officers wants to meet politicians of all parties to discuss the imminent loss of thousands of officers before the Scottish government is due to publish its budget in November. Tensor, the leaders in smart card time and attendance recording, can help your business recover its balance sheet if it is set to lose resources. The Tensor T32xx time and security station is simply the best of its kind – an all-in-one, affordable, IP enabled, smart card time and attendance recording and security access control workstation. It incorporates job booking and costing, labour hours analysis and security management including quality CCTV playback. It has a 480 x 272 pixel colour LCD with video playback and it is possible to add a touch screen as an optional feature.

The authorities feared a bomb or other explosive device had been set off in public toilets in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, because locals had heard a large bang coming from the building. Officers from the neighbouring constabulary and firefighters attended the scene, but thankfully no fire was occurring. A spokesman said: "The police are now involved in an investigation to assess the cause of the explosion," and added that the structure was widely and severely damaged. Tensor supply fully-warranted toilet turnstiles, which are coin operated and duty cycle rated for intensive use, as part of their unbeatable access control range. They allow local authorities to provide secure public conveniences to a good standard and generate revenue for the general day to day maintenance, cleaning and upkeep. The turnstile bodies have lockable lids to prevent unwanted access and are securely mounted to the floor plate. The separate coin box can be mounted either in front of the turnstile, at the side or alternatively can be wall mounted with the cash box at the rear, giving a vast range of configurable options.  

A cycle commuter claims bike crime is rising after doing his own research as a result of being a victim of theft. It has gone up in Cardiff by more than half according to Dr Joe O’Mahoney. To help combat bike thefts South Wales Police told Dr O’Mahoney they were looking into using special cycles as a way of tracking stolen bikes to the warehouses where they are often kept. This is an approach used successfully by the Metropolitan Police. Tensor Access Control systems use smart card technology to increase your building, site or office security. The system can be used for multi site companies and will control most standard types of internal or external electronic, magnetic door locks or releases. Using smart card technology, readers are located out of sight, so there is no need to remove your ID badge from a wallet or purse to use it. If your employees cycle to work, the addition of CCTV tracking of video clips will be showing evidence quality footage of anyone trying to steal their bikes.

Controversial financial giant Royal Bank of Scotland announced in a statement this week it will be trimming 500 more investment banking jobs in the United Kingdom due to changing market conditions. State-rescued RBS has axed nearly 30,000 jobs since October 2008 when it was slammed by the global financial crisis, and the firm pays big bonuses despite it having to be bailed out by the government. It currently employs a total of about 160,000 people worldwide. Tensor and its associated companies are market leaders in providing smart card and biometric time and attendance systems which make your business more efficient. The large colour display on Tensor’s T32xx clocking station make it simple and easy for employees to confirm their clockings, check flexi-time hours or make job-booking transactions. Staff clock on and off using smart cards which do not have to be taken out of a wallet or purse, and provide the fastest throughput in time and attendance. Special blue smart cards are available which meet hygiene and health and safety regulations.

A company faces a hefty fine after four men were found illegally working on its premises. If the employer, Sher Foods, is unable to provide evidence that legally-required checks were carried out before giving the jobs to illegal workers, up to £10,000 will be imposed for each offender. David Griffiths, head of the UK Border Agency's north Wales local immigration team, said more operations to tackle immigration offenders were planned. "Illegal working has a serious impact on communities, taking jobs from those who are genuinely allowed to work," he said. Tensor access control and visitor control products give you total control over employee access plus the ability to register and monitor any contractors or visitors to your premises. Access control software can control your site’s gates, doors or barriers. The WinACnet software, the latest in our proven range of Windows™ systems, creates alarm messages when predetermined actions take place, or if a forced entry occurs. These alarms are immediately emailed to a specified address. Optionally a warning email can be sent if communications to the PC are lost.