A police officer in Molenbeek | Aurore Below/AFP via Getty Images Molenbeek cops on strike over staff shortages Interior ministry says working hours have gone up since terror attacks.

Police in the Brussels-West district, which includes the Molenbeek area of the Belgian capital — home to terrorists linked to the Paris and Brussels attacks — have been on strike since Thursday evening in a dispute over long working hours and understaffing, local media report.

The officers collectively called in sick, and local media reported that they did not return to work on Friday morning.

Kris Verstraeten, a police officer and union representative, said the immediate response team in the district was short of about 40 people and has to be supported by officers from the federal police.

Johan De Becker, Brussels-West police chief, said he understood why the action was being taken but added that "citizens should not be victim of an internal police problem."

A spokesperson for Interior Minister Jan Jambon told local media that federal police were "doing their utmost" to support local cops, but added that staff matters are the responsibility of local authorities. The ministry acknowledged that officers' working hours have increased since the terror attacks in Paris in November 2015.