In a statement on Friday morning, Commissioner Darren Hine said: “The Butterworth family, and those who loved her, deserve an apology for the deficiencies of the initial investigation and I intend to meet with them to personally express my sincere apologies.

“Based on the information revealed by recent investigations, Miss Butterworth’s family may have had the answers they deserve if her disappearance been treated differently by police at the time.”

A coroner found earlier this week that Ms Butterworth was likely strangled by long-time suspect Geoffrey Hunt on August 25, 1969, after the 20-year-old had missed her bus at Claremont.

Years later, Detective Inspector Aub Canning became “wrongly” fixated with the idea that fellow officer John Lonergan was Ms Butterworth’s killer.

Commissioner Hine said he could not explain the actions or attitudes of investigators at the time.

“I can assure both Ms Butterworth’s family and the Tasmanian community that policing has changed significantly since 1969,” Commissioner Hine said.

“Investigative techniques, oversight and review of investigations that are now standard operating procedures would not allow a repeat of the failings of that investigation.

““It was the work of current investigators that uncovered the failings of the past investigation and new information which have been examined by the Coroner.”