Honolulu police say six recent armed robberies appear to be unrelated, although they have mostly clustered around the Christmas holiday.

"Although it is unusual to have several robberies involving weapons in one long weekend, the statistics for December 2009 (five) and December 2010 (six) are very similar," Honolulu police Maj. Richard Robinson, who heads the Criminal Investigation Division, said in a written statement.

"While robbery numbers for the island of Oahu do fluctuate some from year to year, it is important to remember that Honolulu continues to be one of the safest major cities in the United States," he said.

Robinson assured the public that "Honolulu police are actively investigating and following up on leads in the six recent robberies of businesses in the Honolulu, Kalihi, and Salt Lake areas."

Three of the armed robberies occurred Sunday.

At 7:20 p.m. a man armed with a handgun entered a Kapalama business and demanded money from the owner.

At 7 p.m. a man entered a convenience store in the 3100 block of Nimitz Highway, pulled a handgun and demanded money. He fled in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle.

At 5:20 a.m. a gunman robbed a downtown business using a silver semiautomatic pistol. Police said a witness reported hearing a gunshot and saw a man fleeing the area.

The robber in that incident, which occurred on the 900 block of Maunakea Street, is described as a man in his 20s, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a heavy build, and was last seen wearing a dark shirt and dark shorts.

The case was classified as first-degree robbery and reckless endangering.

On Saturday three men robbed a convenience store on Kalakaua Avenue at about 12:40 p.m. and brandished a handgun or BB gun, police said. They took cash and an employee’s purse and fled in a stolen car, police said.

On Friday night a man in his 20s robbed Soon’s Kal Bi Drive-In at the Salt Lake Shopping Center. The man was caught on surveillance video and is described as standing between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 175 to 180 pounds, and was seen wearing a green shirt and khaki shorts.

And the first armed robbery of the month occurred at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 6, when Harumi Market was robbed.

"We are fortunate to live in Hawaii where the crime rate is low, but the men and woman of the HPD realize that being the victim of any crime is upsetting and can be a traumatic experience," Robinson said. "We are working to solve these cases."

Anyone with information on the recent robberies is asked to call HPD’s Criminal Investigation Division at 529-3115.