Police are linking two Monday night robberies to a spate of similar incidents late last month. Among the similarities is the rapidity of the crimes, with the night’s second robbery taking place even as police responded to the first.

The incidents began at 11 p.m. with a 40-year-old man coming across two knife-wielding robbers at Kirkland and Irving streets. The second was only shortly afterward, at Scott and Bryant streets — a three-minute walk away — where a 28-year-old man was stabbed in the upper arm after refusing to hand over his property. The area is between Harvard Square and the Somerville border.

“If approached and asked for your belongings, do not resist,” police communications specialist Dan Riviello said. “The robber wants your valuables, not you.”

In each case, the robbers were described as black men, one heavyset and the other tall and thin, and the descriptions matched those given during four earlier incidents. The 28-year-old victim said it was the taller man who stabbed him, while the other robber attacked him without a weapon. They took his cell phone, wallet and cash, Riviello said.

The man was taken to a hospital, where his stab wound took four stitches to close.

Cambridge Police are sharing information with police at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Anyone with information about the crimes or possible suspects is asked to call the Cambridge Police Department at (617) 349-3300.

The department’s BridgeStat crime data had been showing robberies down 23 percent from this time last year, but the six incidents since Oct. 22 blow that, as well as what had been an 18 percent decline from a five-year average. Crime in general is down, though, according to a July report, with violent crime at its second-lowest figure in 40 years and property crime at its lowest.

Cambridge Police reminded residents to take the following precautions when walking at night:

Walk with a friend or in a group when possible.

Walk with confidence and at a good, steady pace. Keep your head up and observe your surroundings. Don’t look down at the ground or wear ear buds, headphones or listen to music when walking alone.

Trust your instincts. If you feel you are being followed, show you are suspicious — turn to look at the person. It sends a clear message you will not be taken by surprise.

Change directions. If someone is following you on foot, cross the street and vary your pace. If the person following you is in a car, turn and walk in the opposite direction.

This post used significants amount of material from a press release.