WA cops get stab-proof vests amid dispute

Frontline West Australian police officers are getting stab-proof vests as part of new safety measures, but their union says industrial action will continue.

The WA Police Union wants 500 more officers and pay increases, its president George Tilbury says, adding that while members are "very pleased" with the McGowan government's decision about vests, industrial action will continue.

In March, the previous WA Labor government changed its wages policy, substituting a promise for a 1.5 per cent pay rise with a one-off $1000 increase.

That decision has triggered a wave of industrial action, which could cost the already cash-strapped government millions of dollars in revenue.