Scotland Yard is to scale back dramatically its use of terrorism laws to stop and search people after being accused of an “alarming” overuse of the powers and fostering a siege mentality in the Muslim community.

Metropolitan Police officers in the London boroughs of Brent, Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets have been piloting a more restricted use of the laws for the past month. Sir Paul Stephenson, Met commissioner, said on Thursday that the pared-down approach would be extended to the rest of the city by the end of July.