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A pub has installed a swipe card machine that can be used to dispense beer when it is busy. Landlord at the South Yorkshire establishment Dave Barron says measures are in place so that customers could not abuse the system and staff could monitor issues such as drunkenness. “The machine is in full view of staff at all times, and there’s also a method of blocking a particular card, so if anyone has had too much, we can block that card,” Mr Barron commented. All Tensor smart cards or key fobs for time & attendance and access control systems use the same well-proven RF (Radio Frequency) reading technology. This is much quicker than equivalent swipe card clocking technology – sometimes up 15 times faster. Smart cards from Tensor have no battery, thus theoretically they can be read an infinite number of times. Our most popular smart card is the T1305, and the RF technology means it can stay in a wallet or purse to be scanned, thus ensuring quicker throughput.  

The chief inspector of prisons says an overcrowded jail is unsafe. Barlinnie is more than 50 per cent over capacity, which meant Brigadier Hugh Monro said it could not be regarded as “safe”. He has called for a review of the management of overall prisoner numbers and wants an explanation of why so many men who have not yet faced a trial are held in the Glasgow prison. “The prison has an operational limit for very good reasons,” he said. The Prison Pass easy to install computer based pass system from Tensor allows HM Prison Service Officers to quickly check the identity and monitor the movements of visitors. Using our tried and tested visitor control system, Prison Pass allows the pre-booking of legal representatives, contractors and inmate visitors with maximum speed and minimum fuss. Lists of banned individuals are maintained and updated in real time. The list is checked during registration and will immediately warn prison staff both visually and audibly (as an option).  

A key Coalition member has accused some trade union leaders of being “hell bent” on strike action. The Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said the Government would be soon contacting 2.5 million public sector workers to “explain to them” the latest improved pensions offer. Mr Alexander told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that the Government wanted to appeal directly to union members. The MP added of unions that “there are some who seem desperate, hell bent if you like, on strike action.” Accurate information about absenteeism and lateness is crucial for many businesses. Clocking experts Tensor offer the advanced WinTAnet Time and Attendance network. Graphical calendar charts provide a colourful way of viewing an individual’s or a department’s absence records. Each employee can be allocated different entitlements for absence such as annual leave or allowed sickness. As absence is booked and taken, the available remainder for each entitlement is updated. The system also quickly identifies missing employees that are expected to be at work.  

As the nation has just commemorated those who have given their lives in conflict, David Cameron has called metal theft, particularly from war memorials, “an absolutely sickening and disgusting crime”. The Prime Minister was commenting in the wake of Armistice Day, which is observed on November 11 each year, and which fell just before the weekend. The War Memorials Trust estimates one monument is vandalised per week for its bronze, copper or other metal. Tensor offers a range of devices and systems aimed at preventing thefts from occurring at your commercial premises. A Visitor Management System can combine a multitude of tasks while giving greater control over who is visiting your site. ID badges can be produced with varying degrees of security depending on the card printer and software, but all invariably use the same card production process. Tensor’s visitor management software makes the issuing of visitor passes a quick, easy and cost-effective process. It can print a full colour personalised pass in seconds.  

Men armed with a bladed weapon robbed a store of more than £10,000 in cash. The partially disguised trio entered a branch of Tesco Express in Aberdeen and threatened staff. No-one was hurt and investigating officer Det Insp Norman Stevenson said: “I want to offer our assurance to the community that the force is committed to identifying those responsible and to bringing them to justice.” The men were wearing dark coloured clothing including hooded tops. A huge range of access control devices can be purchased from Tensor to bolster security at your retail or office premises, including solutions for controlling vehicle access to road entry points. Automatic Bollards limit vehicle access to a specific location, and can easily be lowered when passage is authorised, typically within two to three seconds. They are constructed to completely stop the majority of vehicles. Tried and tested in a range of environments, automatic bollards are a trusted way to control access to restricted parking facilities and emergency routes.  

West Yorkshire teachers are staging a one-day strike over plans to turn their school into an academy. Staff at Prince Henry's Grammar School are walking out because they fear the change could affect their pay and conditions. Head teacher Janet Sheriff said there was “no intention whatsoever” of changing terms of employment. Ms Sheriff stated the academy move would ensure the school got “good value for money”. Unions have given notice that 64 teachers will take part in the strike action. WinTA PC Clock is a simple PC-based booking system from Tensor that requires no clocking stations and therefore is ideal for a school or college. PC Clock is also designed for companies where each employee has access to a PC. Pupils are simply presented with an input screen on their computer allowing them to ‘register’ or clock in and out. Tensor also supplies comprehensive automated smart card time and attendance clocking networks that report on employee absence, holiday entitlement and lateness.  

Just two years ago the company was shedding staff as reeled during the recession, but now Jaguar Land Rover is taking on 1,000 jobs. The new positions are in support of the Midlands based firm's ambition to deliver “40 significant product actions over the next five years”. This may include new models or derivatives of existing cars. Tensor can add value to your firm with our automated smart card Time and Attendance clocking systems. Using a Tensor Smart Card and input device (keypad or barcode scanner), workers can book time against jobs to produce a fully costed analysis and breakdown of time spent on each job. Reports show jobs that are over budget or those approaching their budget limit. This information can also be exported to a spreadsheet. The new range of T32xx clocks, one of which is in the picture, actively communicate with the computer system when a person clocks. Real time communications provides you with the information as it occurs.  

Goods worth at least £10,000 were stolen from a farm machinery retailer on Monday (November 7, 2011) night. Two trailers were taken and used to remove various items and tractor parts. Ian Robertson, service manager at the south coast Massey Ferguson agricultural dealership, said staff were angry at the disruption. Mr Robertson appealed for anybody who is offered the goods or who saw the two trailers being towed away last weekend to call the police. To ensure extra security at your premises, biometric technology – which measures unique human characteristics – can be added to a Tensor access control system to provide irrefutable proof of identity. Tensor has a range of dermal fingerprint scanners that read below the surface layer of skin down to the dermal layer where your true fingerprint resides. With biometrics implemented on an access control system, the employee is prompted to present their fingerprint to the scanner where it is matched to the one on file, typically within one second.  

Three-quarters of the 515 UK financial professionals who were recently surveyed think that the pay gap between rich and poor is too wide. Two-thirds of respondents told representatives of the market research company ComRes that “salary and bonuses” was the most important motivation for financial services professionals, with “enjoyment of work” way behind in second. The survey was conducted between August 30 and September 12 and was released to mark the 25th anniversary of financial deregulation in Britain. Tensor offers an array of Time and Attendance management systems to suit the payroll department in any size of business. WinTA makes a simple job of calculating complex pay and bonus structures, including overtime. Workers paid on an annual contract basis can be handled by the annualised hours procedures and reports within one of our flagship clocking recording networks, called WinTAnet. The WinTA system allows you to create a series of shift premium rules that enable employees to earn bonus payments under special circumstances.  

Lawyers have won an injunction to prevent the illegal reoccupation of the notorious Dale Farm site. Eighty families were moved out of the area late last month, while three families remain legally. Basildon Council acted to win the High Court ruling after it was reported that travellers intended to return to the site in Essex once workers finished clearing it. The land was cleared in October following a 10-year dispute over unauthorised plots. Tensor is the ultimate supplier of Access Control barriers, door entry devices and networks. The security status of each access point is controlled by the Smart Card scanner settings associated to that particular point. These settings determine the locked status of the door, minute-by-minute, 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year. The sophistication and speed of smart card control is available if you do not want to use a PC – the T2002 is a ‘stand alone’ two-door system. This can connect with up to two Tensor scanners, and is ideal for remote barriers.  

A council wants to end funding for nearly half of its 247 public conveniences to save about £1.2 million. The majority of the WC facilities run by Cornwall Council will be forced to close unless town or parish councils take over the funding. One of the objectors, chairman Kim Wonnacott of St Stephen-in-Brannel Parish Council, said: “People in the parish feel they are already paying for public toilets in their Cornwall Council rates so it's a case of double charging.” Tensor’s versatile gate, barrier and turnstile access control technology can be applied to toilets. The coin operated versions are suited to controlling access in toilets for a nominal fee, which in turn will help the WC facilities to survive. When absolute entrance or exit security is required, full height turnstiles are the perfect solution. Ideal in unmanned locations, they provide maximum security together with a strong visual deterrent. Tensor's full height turnstiles are tamper-resistant and weatherproof ensuring they can last in even the most unforgiving of environments.  

Research gleaned from 16 UK police forces suggests crime goes up in the winter when the clocks go back. British Summer Time this year closed on Sunday and the clocks reverted one hour. Using figures from those police authorities, insurance company Aviva found burglaries rose by 26 per cent in the week surrounding October 2010’s clock change compared with the weekly average for the rest of that year. Therefore it is time to invest in a crime-busting Tensor Digital CCTV system for a site or office. Our technology works extremely well as a standalone system, and can also be fully integrated with any previously installed Tensor access control or visitor monitoring equipment. Compared to analogue CCTV, a far greater number of digital CCTV cameras can be connected to your network and viewed, all through a single PC monitor. You are not restricted to the type of camera you wish to install as the CCTV software is able to support all cameras within our product range.