Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Andrew Colvin says the recent anti-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane have been his baptism of fire.

The 24-year veteran of policing in Australia was appointed to the role in October after the departure of former head Tony Negus.

Soon after Commissioner Colvin stepped into the top job, the anti-terrorism raids in Sydney and Brisbane unfolded.

"It has been described as [a baptism of fire] ... I wouldn't have wanted a nice cruisey start to the job, I think it was important that I hit the ground running," he told 7.30 ACT.

"I was left an organisation in great shape with great executive team and so I was able to tackle those challenges knowing that we were ready to go and we could do the job that community expected of us."

Commissioner Colvin said he was prepared for the criticism police received for the raids.

"We knew that there would be criticism, we understood that it would be changing the paradigm, that the dynamic was different," he said.

"We knew the morning that we did those raids in Sydney that we were highly likely not to be charging a lot of people - which we didn't, we charged one person.

"It comes back to having to protect the community which means we might have to act before we have all the evidence - and that's what you saw in Sydney."

As part of heightened domestic terror responses, Commissioner Colvin was involved in the decision to place heavily armed AFP officers outside Parliament House in Canberra.

"I think that Australians have come to accept there's a reason for it," he said.

But he said the decision weighed heavily on his mind.

"I'm sure it weighs heavily on the Government's mind as well," he said.

Commissioner Colvin said leading the AFP and directing domestic security is a significant responsibility.

"It plays on all police officers' minds, we do bear a burden on behalf of the community," he said.

"Whether you're a junior, a recruit, a constable or the commissioner of police, we do it because we feel a sense of obligation."

AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin addresses the media in Canberra. ( News Video )

Commissioner Colvin received an Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the 2002 Bali bombing investigation.

He said dealing with the fallout of the terrorist attack in Bali had shaped his leadership style.

"That was a furnace that I probably needed to go through as a young senior officer," he said.

"I was a superintendent and it was something where I learned a lot about myself, and I learned a lot about leadership."

Commissioner Colvin said he enjoyed that his job brought him back to Canberra.

He recently took part in the Leukaemia Foundation's LifeCycle ride in the national capital. His team the Boneshakers is aiming to raise $50,000 for the charity by 2015.

AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin taking part in the Leukaemia Foundation's LifeCycle Ride. ( 7.30 ACT )

Commissioner Colvin said the ride had a special meaning for him.

"My mum passed away from blood cancer just over 12 months ago," he said.

"She had to travel a fair way from her home in central Queensland to get the treatment and the Leukaemia Foundation were fantastic.

"I don't think you could find anybody in today's society who hasn't been touched by cancer, especially blood cancers.