Outgoing Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Andrew Colvin has rejected the claim his officers were attempting to "intimidate" journalists when they carried out two raids — one on the headquarters of the ABC and the other on the home of a News Corp reporter.

Key points: Andrew Colvin says the investigations into three journalists are ongoing

Andrew Colvin says the investigations into three journalists are ongoing Commissioner Colvin says the raids on the ABC and a News Corp reporter were not designed to intimidate

Commissioner Colvin says the raids on the ABC and a News Corp reporter were not designed to intimidate Commissioner Colvin says he is comfortable with the AFP enforcing the law as "proscribed by the Parliament"

All three affected journalists still face the prospect of being charged, with the Commissioner confirming to 7.30 the investigations are ongoing.

In his first TV interview since the raids took place, Commissioner Colvin was dismissive of the outcry the raids prompted from news organisations around the world, declaring the dual AFP investigations were "not a great attack on press freedoms in this country".

"I don't believe that this was intimidation," he said.

"I don't believe that's what we were attempting to do."

On Monday the ABC revealed the AFP sought to fingerprint the journalists involved — an action described by the ABC's head of investigative journalism, John Lyons, as "a chilling development" akin to treating the journalists in "the same way as someone suspected of breaking into a house".

The ABC has taken the AFP to court to challenge the evidence it has gathered.

The back-to-back raids came two years and 18 months after the relevant stories were published and two weeks after the federal election, but Commissioner Colvin described the timing as not relevant, saying it was a "purely resource" issue because they were "digital rich" warrants and needed the right officers to take part.

He also said he did not believe any briefings had taken place for the departmental secretaries who had requested the "unauthorised disclosures" be investigated.

But when asked whether he was comfortable as an Australian citizen with his officers' actions, Commissioner Colvin was forthright.

"I'm comfortable with the AFP enforcing the law as it's prescribed by the Parliament," he said.

"I don't think it's for a police officer to say which laws are good or bad.

"I'm very conscious of what's been said in the media — how could I not be conscious of that?"

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 6 minutes 40 seconds 6 m John Lyons says AFP raid on ABC is an attack on whistleblowers

He then added his support to a review of press freedoms.

"It's a balance … I fundamentally agree that our democracy relies on a free press," he said.

He added: "There's a lot people who support what police have done," referring to the raids.

The Commissioner will leave the AFP in September.

"I think now is the right time for me and my family," he told 7.30.

He said "we need new eyes" at the AFP.

The organisation has suffered from five suicides in recent years, and Commissioner Colvin said "we are not the only agency of government that is struggling with this issue".

"I think there is an issue in policing where we work hard, and at times we put our own health and our own safety, our own families, second to the job and we have to address that as a community," he said.

"An officer taking their own life is one too many."