UK says its police abused antiterror powers

LONDON — Police across England have abused counterterrorism powers to illegally search thousands of Britons over much of the past decade, Britain’s Home Office said yesterday.

Officials said forces across the UK, including London’s Metropolitan Police, misused the “stop and search’’ powers granted to them under Britain’s 2000 Terrorism Act.

The act allows officers to stop, search, and demand explanations from anyone at any time in areas designated as sensitive — a power long deplored by civil libertarians.