Hamilton police believe a man in his 20s is responsible for a string of armed robberies in the city’s west end, including two Wednesday evening. There have been four robberies by an armed man riding on a bicycle in the past week.

In each case, the man revealed a handgun and demanded that the victims relinquish their valuables including purses, wallets and/or cash. None of the victims was harmed.

The man is described as white, with a thin build and in his 20s. He was wearing dark clothing and sometimes a baseball cap. No description of the bike has been provided. Wednesday there were two robberies around the same time — about 5:30 p.m.

In one case, the man approached two men who were walking west on the Rail Trail in the area of Ewen Road and Rifle Range Road. He threatened them with a handgun and demanded their wallets before riding away.

The other incident took place less than a kilometre away at the intersection of Broadway Street and Ward Avenue.

The victim, a woman who had been walking alone, fled without handing anything over to the robber.

"We will be making sure that we increase patrols in that area,"Sgt. Terri-Lynn Collings told CBC News.

"Certainly the Hamilton police take these incidents very seriously," she said. "Fortunately [the victims] weren’t harmed but it could very well have been a different scenario." A similar robbery occurred Saturday in the area of Victoria Park.

Monday there was a similar robbery in the area of Bowan and Baxter streets. The man rode off with the victims’ purses in those cases. The Hamilton Police Service is asking anyone with information about the robberies to contact Det. Jacquie Leishman at 905-546-3818 or to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.