diff --git a/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go b/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go
index c8ccd4d5d..6ef310674 100644
--- a/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go
+++ b/cmd/crowdsec/serve.go
@@ -177,6 +177,9 @@ func ShutdownCrowdsecRoutines() error {
 	// He's dead, Jim.
 	crowdsecTomb.Kill(nil)
 
+	// close the potential geoips reader we have to avoid leaking ressources on reload
+	exprhelpers.GeoIPClose()
+
 	return reterr
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/exprhelpers/helpers.go b/pkg/exprhelpers/helpers.go
index e4ecf0a3a..0aa99face 100644
--- a/pkg/exprhelpers/helpers.go
+++ b/pkg/exprhelpers/helpers.go
@@ -102,6 +102,18 @@ func GeoIPInit(datadir string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func GeoIPClose() {
+	if geoIPCityReader != nil {
+		geoIPCityReader.Close()
+	}
+	if geoIPASNReader != nil {
+		geoIPASNReader.Close()
+	}
+	if geoIPRangeReader != nil {
+		geoIPRangeReader.Close()
+	}
+}
+
 func Init(databaseClient *database.Client) error {
 	dataFile = make(map[string][]string)
 	dataFileRegex = make(map[string][]*regexp.Regexp)