Mental health call outs to the police are taking up more of their time than ever.

Police are responding to more than 100 calls a day, with the police annual report showing they're dealing with three times as many people suffering from mental distress, and eight times more potential suicides than they were in the late 90s.

Labour MP Annette King raised the issue in Parliament today.

"The Government refuses to cover all the cost pressures in health, which the Minister of Health has admitted in this house," she said.

But Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says the police have developed new training resources to develop their skills.

"The cost pressures, in terms of health, have been covered in this budget to the tune of $330 million," he said.

So far this year, police have handled 4300 repeat mental health calls.

Police Minister Michael Woodhouse says it's an example of crime being down by the demand for services rising.

"If a person is a risk of harming themselves, or others, it may well require a police response," he said.

"So it's not as if the police are reluctant to do this, they understand it's part of core business."