Another string of robberies occurred throughout the greater Madison area over the course of the last few days, although the overall number of robberies this year still remains lower than last year’s robbery rates, according to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain.

A 61-year-old man claimed two men wearing Halloween masks entered his home and robbed him at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning on the 2600 block of Mason Street.

DeSpain said the man’s front door had been unlocked and the two men — one wearing a pirate mask and the other wearing a clown mask — entered and asked the man for his prescription narcotics. The man then retrieved his medications and gave them to the men. DeSpain said the man believed the perpetrators had specifically targeted him for his prescriptions.

Another robbery occurred early Thursday morning on the 4300 block of Bagley Parkway. According to DeSpain, a Gumby’s Pizza delivery driver was approaching a house when he noticed a man in the driveway. After the man claimed he could not find his money, the driver then noticed another man with a white mask approaching him from behind.

“He starts calling to his friend in the car and running for the car,” DeSpain said. “The guy with the white mask was chasing and swinging at him. [The suspect] was able to punch the victim in the back of the head several times. Between the victim and his friend, they were able to fend the suspect off and drive away.”

A 26-year-old female University of Wisconsin student was also robbed while waiting for a bus at the corner of Gorham Street and Livingston Street early Thursday morning.

According to DeSpain, the victim claimed she was waiting for a bus to go downtown when she noticed three men cross the north end of Livingston Street.

“A male came up behind her and attempted to grab her backpack off her left arm,” DeSpain said. “She said he hit her on the head a couple of times. … She told him to just take [the backpack].”

All three suspects fled the scene on foot and headed west on Gorham Street. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains open.

DeSpain said it is too early to claim whether these robberies could be related or not. He said it appears most of the robberies in the area have occurred by perpetrators walking around looking for situations in which they could rob someone and then easily flee the scene.

He advised students to continue taking safety precautions to make themselves the least vulnerable to opportunistic criminals.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, also said robberies and muggings this year are down compared to previous years, and he credits the Downtown Safety Initiative, as well as students’ own initiatives.

“I think students today more than in past years are taking more responsibility for their personal safety and taking more precautions,” Verveer said. “They’re taking advantage of transportation options such as SAFEwalk and SAFEride.”

Despite this year’s decreased robbery rates and increased student awareness, the need for students to take safety precautions is still prevalent.

“Don’t be out after dark alone, lock your doors and stay in well-lit areas,” DeSpain said.