diff --git a/bin/fail2ban-client b/bin/fail2ban-client
index b91c339c..866a5287 100755
--- a/bin/fail2ban-client
+++ b/bin/fail2ban-client
@@ -430,9 +430,6 @@ class ServerExecutionException(Exception):
 	pass
 
 if __name__ == "__main__": # pragma: no cover - can't test main
-	from time import strptime
-	# strptime thread safety hack-around - http://bugs.python.org/issue7980
-	strptime("2012", "%Y")
 	client = Fail2banClient()
 	# Exit with correct return value
 	if client.start(sys.argv):
diff --git a/bin/fail2ban-regex b/bin/fail2ban-regex
index 96aca926..5644dd37 100755
--- a/bin/fail2ban-regex
+++ b/bin/fail2ban-regex
@@ -474,9 +474,6 @@ class Fail2banRegex(object):
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-	from time import strptime
-	# strptime thread safety hack-around - http://bugs.python.org/issue7980
-	strptime("2012", "%Y")
 
 	parser = get_opt_parser()
 	(opts, args) = parser.parse_args()
diff --git a/bin/fail2ban-server b/bin/fail2ban-server
index dc8d81b4..ec0c0dbe 100755
--- a/bin/fail2ban-server
+++ b/bin/fail2ban-server
@@ -131,9 +131,6 @@ class Fail2banServer:
 			return False
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-	from time import strptime
-	# strptime thread safety hack-around - http://bugs.python.org/issue7980
-	strptime("2012", "%Y")
 	server = Fail2banServer()
 	if server.start(sys.argv):
 		sys.exit(0)
diff --git a/fail2ban/__init__.py b/fail2ban/__init__.py
index cbaaf757..b7906099 100644
--- a/fail2ban/__init__.py
+++ b/fail2ban/__init__.py
@@ -68,3 +68,7 @@ logging.notice = _root_notice
 
 # add NOTICE to the priority map of all the levels
 logging.handlers.SysLogHandler.priority_map['NOTICE'] = 'notice'
+
+from time import strptime
+# strptime thread safety hack-around - http://bugs.python.org/issue7980
+strptime("2012", "%Y")