The county’s top police officer may be considering applying to be the new head of the Met.

Newspapers have been suggesting that Julie Spence, Cambridgeshire’s Chief Constable, will apply to replace Sir Ian Blair as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Were Spence to succeed in a bid for the post, she would become the first female Commissioner.

The Cambridge Evening News reported on Saturday that Spence was “seriously considering” seeking the role, applications for which opened last week. In an interview with the Guardian, she refused to rule out applying.

Although she has been policing for thirty years and is due to retire soon, she said in that interview, “I still love the job and I still want to develop people and develop organisations.” She added, “It would be good to see a woman” in the post, but cautioned that “it has to be the right one.”

When pressed on the issue, Spence would only say: “I will look at the application and see. This is an opportunity, and you just have to sit and take stock and say, should I? Do I want to do it?”

Spence sits on the National Association of Chief of Police Officers, and is responsible for improving citizens’ attitudes to policing. She is president of the Senior Women Police Officer’s organisation nationally and globally, and was awarded an OBE on the Queen’s 80th Birthday.

She provoked controversy in April after requesting staff increases to deal with policing issues surrounding migrant workers. She argued that criminal cases involving immigrants took up to three times longer than most, due to interpretation issues and the potential need for investigative trips abroad.

East Anglia has the highest number of registered foreign workers in the UK, and complex issues surround migration and crime. Crime in Cambridge overall has decreased over the past few years.

Cambridge students seem relatively unmoved by the prospect of Spence’s promotion. Jamie Ptaszynski, a second-year Jesus student, commented that “Cambridge isn’t a big city, and she can’t even do a good job here. Students aren’t well protected, and the level of minor crimes seems quite high.”

Ian Blair announced his resignation from the post of Commissioner in October, blaming a lack of support from London’s Mayor Boris Johnson. His time in the job has often been controversial, particularly regarding the Met’s response to the 2005 Tube bombings and the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

The favourite to replace Sir Ian in the £250,000 post is Sir Paul Stephenson, currently Deputy Commissioner. Sir Hugh Orde, Northern Ireland’s top policeman, is also said to be in the running.

Beth Staton