A police station in the 19th district of Paris has closed until further notice because fleas have made the working conditions of its staffers intolerable, the police union Alliance has stated, as cited by French broadcaster BFM. The officers were evacuated after having to put up with bites and itching for almost a month.
The problem surfaced three weeks ago, but attempts to eliminate the invasive insects yielded no results and the situation only worsened. The staffers had to share the station with blood-sucking fleas and even put up with them off duty, bringing the jumping little pests home. According to a union official, their spouses and children also suffered bites.
“Several colleagues consulted doctors after bites. The problem is that some officials have brought this back home and after that, it’s the kids who are bitten. This cannot go on”, union official Emmanuel Cravello told BFM.
The union has demanded that the locality should be disinfested, slamming the inaction that led to the evacuation. The fumigation is expected to take about 48 hours.
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Union officials are set to meet Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Monday, with whom they are expected to discuss the working conditions of the emergency services.
