Australian police have launched an investigation into claims that officers ignored a telephone call telling them about a woman's screams on the night British backpacker Caroline Stuttle was robbed and killed.

Queensland state Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson announced the internal investigation following reports in a Sunday newspaper that police failed to respond to the anonymous call on the night 19-year-old Caroline died.

Caroline's body was found late on April 10 in Bundaberg, 220 miles north of state capital Brisbane. Police believe she was robbed and fell or was pushed from a 30ft high bridge. Nobody has been arrested for Stuttle's murder.

''A request will also be made from the service to the Criminal Misconduct Commission to overview the investigation and the outcomes,'' Atkinson said in a statement.

''Despite the obvious concerns that these allegations raise, the public can have confidence in the team of police investigating the murder of Caroline Stuttle,'' Atkinson said.