diff --git a/rasa/core/agent.py b/rasa/core/agent.py
index 24fd7868ec95..428869a90be1 100644
--- a/rasa/core/agent.py
+++ b/rasa/core/agent.py
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 import tempfile
 import uuid
 from asyncio import CancelledError
-from sanic import Sanic
 from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Text, Tuple, Union
 
 import aiohttp
+from sanic import Sanic
 
 import rasa
 import rasa.utils.io
@@ -23,15 +23,15 @@
 from rasa.core.domain import Domain, InvalidDomain
 from rasa.core.exceptions import AgentNotReady
 from rasa.core.interpreter import NaturalLanguageInterpreter, RegexInterpreter
+from rasa.core.lock_store import LockStore, CounterLockStore
 from rasa.core.nlg import NaturalLanguageGenerator
-from rasa.core.policies.policy import Policy
-from rasa.core.policies.form_policy import FormPolicy
 from rasa.core.policies.ensemble import PolicyEnsemble, SimplePolicyEnsemble
+from rasa.core.policies.form_policy import FormPolicy
 from rasa.core.policies.memoization import MemoizationPolicy
+from rasa.core.policies.policy import Policy
 from rasa.core.processor import MessageProcessor
 from rasa.core.tracker_store import InMemoryTrackerStore, TrackerStore
 from rasa.core.trackers import DialogueStateTracker
-from rasa.core.utils import LockCounter
 from rasa.model import (
     get_model_subdirectories,
     get_latest_model,
@@ -284,6 +284,7 @@ def __init__(
         interpreter: Optional[NaturalLanguageInterpreter] = None,
         generator: Union[EndpointConfig, NaturalLanguageGenerator, None] = None,
         tracker_store: Optional[TrackerStore] = None,
+        lock_store: Optional[LockStore] = None,
         action_endpoint: Optional[EndpointConfig] = None,
         fingerprint: Optional[Text] = None,
         model_directory: Optional[Text] = None,
@@ -305,8 +306,8 @@ def __init__(
 
         self.nlg = NaturalLanguageGenerator.create(generator, self.domain)
         self.tracker_store = self.create_tracker_store(tracker_store, self.domain)
+        self.lock_store = self.create_lock_store(lock_store)
         self.action_endpoint = action_endpoint
-        self.conversations_in_processing = {}
 
         self._set_fingerprint(fingerprint)
         self.model_directory = model_directory
@@ -426,34 +427,11 @@ def noop(_):
 
         processor = self.create_processor(message_preprocessor)
 
-        # get the lock for the current conversation
-        lock = self.conversations_in_processing.get(message.sender_id)
-        if not lock:
-            logger.debug(
-                "Created a new lock for conversation '{}'".format(message.sender_id)
-            )
-            lock = LockCounter()
-            self.conversations_in_processing[message.sender_id] = lock
-
         try:
-            async with lock:
-                # this makes sure that there can always only be one coroutine
-                # handling a conversation at any point in time
-                # Note: this doesn't support multi-processing, it just works
-                # for coroutines. If there are multiple processes handling
-                # messages, an external system needs to make sure messages
-                # for the same conversation are always processed by the same
-                # process.
+            async with self.lock_store.lock(message.sender_id):
                 return await processor.handle_message(message)
         finally:
-            if not lock.is_someone_waiting():
-                # dispose of the lock if no one needs it to avoid
-                # accumulating locks
-                del self.conversations_in_processing[message.sender_id]
-                logger.debug(
-                    "Deleted lock for conversation '{}' (unused)"
-                    "".format(message.sender_id)
-                )
+            self.lock_store.cleanup(message.sender_id)
 
     # noinspection PyUnusedLocal
     def predict_next(self, sender_id: Text, **kwargs: Any) -> Optional[Dict[Text, Any]]:
@@ -841,6 +819,13 @@ def create_tracker_store(
         else:
             return InMemoryTrackerStore(domain)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def create_lock_store(store: Optional[LockStore]) -> LockStore:
+        if store is not None:
+            return store
+        else:
+            return CounterLockStore()
+
     @staticmethod
     def _create_ensemble(
         policies: Union[List[Policy], PolicyEnsemble, None]
@@ -856,7 +841,7 @@ def _create_ensemble(
             raise ValueError(
                 "Invalid param `policies`. Passed object is "
                 "of type '{}', but should be policy, an array of "
-                "policies, or a policy ensemble".format(passed_type)
+                "policies, or a policy ensemble.".format(passed_type)
             )
 
     @staticmethod
diff --git a/rasa/core/lock_store.py b/rasa/core/lock_store.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..fc7bf4f2f765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rasa/core/lock_store.py
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+import asyncio
+import logging
+import typing
+from typing import Text, Optional
+
+if typing.TYPE_CHECKING:
+    pass
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+class LockStore(object):
+    def lock(self, conversation_id: Text):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    def cleanup(self, conversation_id: Text):
+        """Dispose of the lock if no one needs it to avoid accumulating locks."""
+
+        pass
+
+
+class LockCounter(asyncio.Lock):
+    """Decorated asyncio lock that counts how many coroutines are waiting.
+    The counter can be used to discard the lock when there is no coroutine
+    waiting for it. For this to work, there should not be any execution yield
+    between retrieving the lock and acquiring it, otherwise there might be
+    race conditions."""
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        super().__init__()
+        self.wait_counter = 0
+
+    async def acquire(self) -> bool:
+        """Acquire the lock, makes sure only one coroutine can retrieve it."""
+
+        self.wait_counter += 1
+        try:
+            return await super(LockCounter, self).acquire()  # type: ignore
+        finally:
+            self.wait_counter -= 1
+
+    def is_someone_waiting(self) -> bool:
+        """Check if a coroutine is waiting for this lock to be freed."""
+
+        return self.wait_counter != 0
+
+
+class CounterLockStore(LockStore):
+    """Store for LockCounter locks."""
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self.conversation_locks = {}
+
+    def lock(self, conversation_id: Text) -> LockCounter:
+        lock = self._get_lock(conversation_id)
+        if not lock:
+            lock = self._create_lock(conversation_id)
+
+        return lock
+
+    def _get_lock(self, conversation_id: Text) -> Optional[LockCounter]:
+        return self.conversation_locks.get(conversation_id)
+
+    def _create_lock(self, conversation_id: Text) -> LockCounter:
+        lock = LockCounter()
+        self.conversation_locks[conversation_id] = lock
+        return lock
+
+    def _is_someone_waiting(self, conversation_id: Text) -> bool:
+        lock = self._get_lock(conversation_id)
+        if lock:
+            return lock.is_someone_waiting()
+
+        return False
+
+    def cleanup(self, conversation_id: Text) -> None:
+        if not self._is_someone_waiting(conversation_id):
+            del self.conversation_locks[conversation_id]
+            logger.debug(
+                "Deleted lock for conversation '{}' (unused)".format(conversation_id)
+            )
+
+
+class RedisLockStore(LockStore):
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        host: Optional[Text] = None,
+        port: Optional[int] = None,
+        db: Text = "rasa",
+        password: Text = None,
+        lock_timeout: float = 0.5,
+        retry_count: int = 20,
+    ) -> None:
+        from aioredlock import Aioredlock
+
+        redis_instances = [{"host": host, "port": port, "db": db, "password": password}]
+        self.lock_manager = Aioredlock(
+            redis_connections=[redis_instances],
+            lock_timeout=lock_timeout,
+            retry_count=retry_count,
+        )
+
+    def lock(self, conversation_id: Text) -> "Aioredlock":
+        return self.lock_manager.lock(conversation_id)
diff --git a/rasa/core/utils.py b/rasa/core/utils.py
index ac8691b83610..5442f6ebf675 100644
--- a/rasa/core/utils.py
+++ b/rasa/core/utils.py
@@ -1,16 +1,15 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 import argparse
-import asyncio
 import json
 import logging
 import re
 import sys
-from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Union
 from asyncio import Future
 from hashlib import md5, sha1
 from io import StringIO
+from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Set, TYPE_CHECKING, Text, Tuple, Callable
+from typing import Union
 
 import aiohttp
 from aiohttp import InvalidURL
@@ -18,12 +17,11 @@
 from sanic.views import CompositionView
 
 import rasa.utils.io as io_utils
-from rasa.utils.endpoints import read_endpoint_config
-
 
 # backwards compatibility 1.0.x
 # noinspection PyUnresolvedReferences
 from rasa.utils.endpoints import concat_url
+from rasa.utils.endpoints import read_endpoint_config
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -452,29 +450,3 @@ def handler(fut: Future) -> None:
             )
 
     return handler
-
-
-class LockCounter(asyncio.Lock):
-    """Decorated asyncio lock that counts how many coroutines are waiting.
-
-    The counter can be used to discard the lock when there is no coroutine
-    waiting for it. For this to work, there should not be any execution yield
-    between retrieving the lock and acquiring it, otherwise there might be
-    race conditions."""
-
-    def __init__(self) -> None:
-        super().__init__()
-        self.wait_counter = 0
-
-    async def acquire(self) -> bool:
-        """Acquire the lock, makes sure only one coroutine can retrieve it."""
-
-        self.wait_counter += 1
-        try:
-            return await super(LockCounter, self).acquire()  # type: ignore
-        finally:
-            self.wait_counter -= 1
-
-    def is_someone_waiting(self) -> bool:
-        """Check if a coroutine is waiting for this lock to be freed."""
-        return self.wait_counter != 0
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index cff22f35bc60..cdf34587f860 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -47,3 +47,4 @@ SQLAlchemy~=1.3.3
 kafka-python==1.4.6
 sklearn-crfsuite==0.3.6
 psycopg2-binary==2.8.2
+aioredlock==0.3.0
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 7efa8ec2e8cf..ea4a96a868e6 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@
     "SQLAlchemy~=1.3.0",
     "kafka-python~=1.4",
     "sklearn-crfsuite~=0.3.6",
+    "aioredlock~=0.3.0",
 ]
 
 extras_requires = {