Thieves who steal metal plaques from war memorials, or damage other historic monuments, will face tougher penalties under new guidelines for judges in England and Wales.
The Sentencing Council also recommends harsher punishments when a crime puts people at risk of harm.
More than 91,000 offenders were sentenced for theft last year.
Mark Harrison, of Historic England, said the value of England’s heritage “can’t be judged in pounds and pence”.
Offences involving historic objects being stolen have been specifically recognized as “more serious” by the Sentencing Council for the first time.
The new guidelines say this includes damage to war memorials when thieves steal metal plaques, and theft of objects from a historic shipwreck.
Mr Harrison added: “The impact of theft on our historic sites and buildings has far-reaching consequences over and above the financial cost of what has been stolen. Heritage crime comes in many forms.
“When thieves steal metal from heritage assets, such as listed churches, artifacts from the ground or historic stonework from an ancient castle, they are stealing from all of us and damaging something which is often irreplaceable.”
The new guidelines will apply to all kinds of theft offences, such as shop theft, pick pocketing, handling stolen goods and stealing by employees.
And the courts will also have specific guidance for the first time for common offences such as theft of a motor vehicle or bicycle.
Apart from the value of stolen items, the sentencing guidelines also now focus on the impact of thefts on victims, such as emotional distress, loss of confidence and disruption and inconvenience.
Other factors making an offence more serious include thefts that risk causing personal harm, such as stealing electrical cables.
Jill Gramann, Sentencing Council member and magistrate, said: “The new guidelines will help judges and magistrates deal with this great variety of offences while ensuring that the harm caused to the victim is central to the sentencing decision.
“Thefts are committed for financial gain but can mean much more than financial loss to the victim and we want to ensure sentences take this into account.”
