ABSTRACT
A sense of control or even purpose having been lost, social change was a most sensitive and explosive touchstone for the future of the estates. The recent Gifford report on Broadwater Farm Estate highlights the findings of an extensive tenants' survey showing that a majority of tenants clearly perceived the estate as having significantly less crime than previously and being a friendly place. The degree of local involvement and contact between staff and residents on all the survey estates was much greater following the opening of local offices than on the average estate, and, without exception, local staff were deeply committed to working with residents. The reduction in crime and vandalism and the increased feeling of security among tenants reported on fifteen of the estates resulted from a combination of factors, of which beat policing may have been only one element.
