The Punjab government on Monday opened 115 community policing centres across the state to encourage people to freely approach the police for redressal of their grievances.

To make state police "citizen-friendly", Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal launched the community policing initiative by inaugurating 'Saanjh Kendras' at Majitha and Civil Lines.

"There is an inherent fear among common citizens to enter Thana for even civil work. Therefore, the Saanjh Kendras have been constructed separately from police stations, and persons manning these Kendras are dressed in civil and corporate-style dresses," Badal said.

These Saanjh Kendrayas would provide civil services of the Punjab Police like verification of tenants, registration and verification of servants, passport verifications, police clearance certificate, character verification for service and payment of traffic challans among others.

The crime information counter at the Saanjh Kendras would provide information regarding unclaimed bodies, lost vehicles, missing articles and documents, missing mobile sets and missing persons, Badal said.

"Punjab will become the first state that will provide copy of an FIR online besides copy of cancellation or untraced reports," he said.

Badal said after the initiation of community police reforms and new Commissionerate system, the crime rate in Punjab has come down to 22 per cent.